The hall was very quiet even though many people had gathered in it. None of them wanted to speak to each other, as none of them felt the mood was right.
Instead they sat in silence waiting for the eting to begin, so tapping away at their feet, while others simply gazed at the guards around the room. Guards lined the walls, soldiers stood at every entrance, and more patrols lingered in the courtyard outside.
Brenle had done its part to prepare, but it was Ravenscroft’s soldiers that made the place feel less like a hall and more like a fortress.
This wasn’t without intention, Morena wanted them to feel the power her house held, so that they would be more inclined to join her side, and not stand against her, or to the side.
When she finally took her seat after welcoming everyone, Morena sat at the table beside Ella, the banners of seven houses hanging behind them, a little decorative feature Ella thought would add to the flair.
Regardless of the reason, it did make the eting feel more ’official’ than it truly was, after all, it was just seven simple houses, not even a duke amongst them. Seven was not a grand number, but it was more than enough to begin sothing.
A spark was all Morena believed they needed to make a change, but perhaps that was just her sense of optimism brought by surviving a dangerous foe.
The last of the seats filled as Carrow leaned back in his chair, arms folded. His broad shoulders dwarfed the seat, and he didn’t bother hiding his impatience. Across from him, the Estholm twins sat together, their posture matched so closely that Morena couldn’t help but wonder if it was habit or training.
She placed her hands flat on the table and took a deep breath.
She had prepared so key points she wanted to address, but she didn’t write anything out, no speech. She wanted this to co from the heart, and to stay true, only then could it reach them better.
"You all know why you’re here. So of you have already had issues with the Church, others may not yet but it will only be a matter of ti before their claws reach you. Barging into your houses for searches, turning away rchants that could benefit us, supplies going missing, even small things that don’t seem important on their own. Many of you probably thought they were re accidents, but they aren’t accidents."
Morena paused and gazed at the eyes of everyone for a second, checking their emotions to see what she could find.
Most of them seed impassive, waiting for her to finish.
"The Church intends to hinder you until you’re too weak to fight back, then take you for all that you have."
Carrow let out a grunt.
"You called us here to tell us the Church is a problem? We already know that much."
Morena didn’t rise to the bait.
"You’re right, you’re all wise enough to have figured this out by now, I didn’t call you for that. I called you here so that we don’t each deal with it alone, one house at a ti, while the rest of us pretend not to notice. You know what happens if we keep doing that."
She didn’t say the words aloud but they were all experienced enough to know what happened to people that stood alone and died one by one. After all, they had already agreed to co here because they had that suspicion in their mind.
The Estholms tilted their heads, one spoke first.
"What are you asking of us?"
The other followed without pause.
"And what do we get in return?"
"Safety."
Ella said, her voice carrying across the table.
"And the freedom to choose what happens in your own house like you should already have. We are not asking you to declare war, doing so wouldn’t benefit anyone. We are asking you to stand together, so that when the Church cos for one, the others don’t look away."
The Luthre envoy, the plump man fidgeting with his rings as they spoke, cleared his throat.
"And how would that work? If the Church bleeds us of coin, will Brenle pay? If they demand n, will Ravenscroft send soldiers?"
"Both."
Morena replied simply.
"We will not only aid you, but you will aid us, and each other. For now, all I ask is that we begin with sothing small. A net between us, a pledge of silence, a way for us to share information without the Church finding out, a trust built on the survival of our houses."
The leader of Deymar leaned forward, scarred face hard as stone. His voice was deep, tired, the sound of soone who’d seen more trouble than peace.
"Then say it plain, girl. I do not believe that this eting is just a matter of ’silence’ otherwise you’ve greatly wasted my ti, and your own. You want sothing today."
Morena t his gaze.
"You’re right, silence is just the first step, nothing here leaves this room. Second, riders between our estates, it is the best way to share information quickly, I will personally supply you with n and horses if needed, for each house freely. Lastly, trade, currently each of us hold things the others can benefit from, alone it’s not much, but together we supplent each other."
Velthorne’s envoy finally spoke, her eyes sharp and watchful.
"And who is to say everyone here is to be trusted in keeping this net? If one strand breaks, all of us are pulled down with it."
"You’re right, which is why I put forward one handler from each house to take the front. These people will communicate between each other, send ssages in their na, and letters through them."
Morena said, inclining her head slightly toward Adolf.
"I trust Adolf to send ssages, and he has already confird that he is willing to take the fall if such a thing happens, for Brenle she has her steward. Each house nas one handler only, no more. If one leaks the ssages, then only the handler will fall, and the impact on the house can be mitigated to re betrayal."
Talrick’s envoy, the robed man with the soft voice, raised a finger.
"There are ways to hide the letters in plain sight. In the old kingdoms they used temple stones to guard oaths. We don’t have that anymore, but I can provide simple inks that fade if tampered with. Enough to keep a ssage safe."
The Orwyn envoy, broad and muscled from years in the mines, crossed his arms. He was already on board with the idea from the start, he just needed a reason to agree.
"I can supply mineral and ore, weapons, armor, tools, whatever you need can be done if I can get the coins needed to pay workers. The issue is moving it, the Church have their eyes on our mines, if I move too much they will know."
"Then we will split the shipnt between each house and various shell businesses throughout the city and even outside. I will personally pay for all the shipnts if needed, and supply the coin, as long as another is willing to aid with the smithing."
Ella stepped up and said, filling in a large margin of the wealth with one simple reply.
Morena couldn’t help but be shocked at just how much money the Brenle’s had.
Carrow finally leaned forward, his eyes sharp.
"And when they co to my gates with a holy writ and demand entry because of all the shipnts, who stands beside then? Your patrols can’t bar a priest."
"Neither can yours."
Morena said, her tone steady.
"But you can force them to show their hand. If the door must open, then make them waste a day doing it. While they stall with you, the rest of us prepare. The point isn’t to bar them, it’s to deny them surprise."
The Estholm twins traded a glance, and both smiled faintly.
"It’s a rough plan but it isn’t a bad one. The issue is we lack strength compared to the Church. Even with your house added in."
Morena’s lips tightened.
"You’re right, but that’s only in a full-on fight. Do you truly believe all of the Church to be on the sa side? They too have factions within."
Deymar’s scarred leader gave a low hum.
"And you brought a warrior with you."
"You did as well."
Morena replied without hesitation.
For the first ti, the man’s mouth twitched.
Luthre’s envoy tapped the table with one ringed hand.
"Then let’s speak numbers. If coin is asked, how much? If n are asked, how many? I will not sign a blank page, but I am willing to help supply and reach."
Ella slid a sheet across the table, neat columns already written out.
"Provisional. We won’t ask that any house give more than it can afford. These are the base amounts based on research, and we’ll adjust after the first month."
Velthorne’s envoy studied it.
"And etings? Where, and how often?"
"Here, Brenle for now. Small councils only, no full gatherings until we’re certain our net holds, and not too often. We won’t have set dates, keep them loose."
Orwyn’s envoy leaned forward.
"And if one of us leaks information?"
The room went quiet as eyes shifted to Morena, wondering how she would handle the situation if it was to co about.
"Then we cut the strand before it pulls down the rest. I will personally make an example of anyone that would dare do such a thing, not just of them, but of their entire house."
Carrow tapped his knuckle against the wood.
"And if one of us falls?"
"Then the rest answer."
Ella said.
"That is the point."
Silence followed. Then, one by one, they each took the quill. Deymar was the first to sign it, then Luthre, Velthorne’s envoy hesitated for a second but finally did it, Orwyn and Talrick did it after a mont of thought.
The Estholm twins signed it together.
Carrow held the quill last, he t Morena’s eyes.
"This can be a very foolish choice if even one of you leaks it."
"You’re right, so let’s hope no one does that."
He signed in response to Morena’s words and signed as well.
Adolf stepped forward, his voice carrying.
"Handlers will et at dawn. One from each house. They’ll trade ciphers and routes. Do not send talkers as they love to run their mouth, sa for fools."
A ripple of dry chuckles broke the tension.
Eventually Ella rose.
"Rooms have been prepared. I suggest you each leave at different hours, by different roads. For tonight, we all play careful."
Eventually they each shifted on their seats, pushing them back as they stood up and one by one the houses began to drift toward the doors, so pausing to exchange quiet words with Morena or Ella before leaving.
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